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The sad news was announced earlier this week that film director Ladislav Rychman had died at age 84 leaving behind a rich film and TV legacy. Rychman's best-known work is without doubts the 1964 Czech cult film musical "Starci na chmelu" or "The Hop Pickers".

No issue has plagued post-communist governments in the Czech Republic so much as corruption. Every prime minister in office has pledged to resolve the problem but so far none have met with success. Now the new Civic Democrat Justice Minister Jiri Pospisil has unveiled a proposed amendment to the penal code which should help him succeed where his predecessors failed.

Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek has become the "enfant terrible" of Czech politics. Accused of corruption and in hot water over offensive remarks made about the Roma minority, the Regional Development Minister refuses to leave his government posts, insisting that he has done nothing wrong. His coalition partners think otherwise - but there's one question they can't agree on - who should be the one to make him leave?

Visitors to the country's numerous chateaux and castles this summer may be in for a big surprise. They may not have a tour guide at all or one who has just learned about the historical site himself. The reason is that the new Labour Code, which came into effect this year, slashes in half the number of hours in a week that part-timers are allowed to work - from forty hours to just twenty. The National Heritage Institute, which manages dozens of tourist sites around the country, is now trying to find a way to amend the law.

A storm has erupted at CzechInvest, a state body which encourages foreign investment and helps develop Czech companies. At least a fifth of CzechInvest's employees have handed in their notice, after the minister of industry sacked CEO Tomas Hruda on Friday. The Industry Ministry has made a number of accusations against Mr Hruda - claims denied by him, and the staff who have resigned en masse.

Dozens of non-governmental organisations from both the Czech Republic and abroad gathered in Prague on Wednesday for an annual NGO market. The event, which was open to the public, included lectures and debates on everything from the role of civic society in post-communist countries to water shortages in the Middle East.

One of the country's greatest Second World War heroes, RAF pilot Antonin Spacek has died at the age of eighty-nine. We look at the life of a man who spent his life serving his country and who remained true to his principles in the face of great adversity.

The Czech coalition government on Tuesday unveiled a package of ambitious tax reforms and spending cuts, aiming to reduce the country's fiscal deficit and prepare it for the adoption of the Euro. Among other measures, the plan introduces a flat 15-percent personal income tax and raises the lower VAT rate from 5 to 9 percent. The reform package will be presented to parliament in June. However, the centre-right government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has no guaranteed majority in the lower house.

Not so long ago, if you wanted to grab a coffee in Prague or any other Czech city you could only really do so at a rather grim old-fashioned café or restaurant but now times have changed. In recent years, both international and local coffee chains have been opening more and more shops. Chains like Coffeeheaven and Tchibo are now offering consumers a wider range of better products and services than before.

The government announced a new financial reform package on Monday evening, which it wants to put before parliament. The proposed measures include the introduction of a flat tax of fifteen percent, which is being hailed by supporters as a brave move aimed at ensuring that people can pay lower taxes while at the same time increasing government revenues. Is this the sort of step needed to reduce the Czech Republic's worrying public deficit or is it - as critics maintain - all just smoke and mirrors?